Railroad track switches typically involve a pair of stationary rails and a pair of switching rails that move between engaged and disengaged positions. In the engaged position, commonly referred to as the "reverse position," a switching rail abuts the gauge side of a stationary rail, i.e., the side which engages the flange of a train wheel, so as to divert the train wheel from the stationary rail and the corresponding track to another track. In the disengaged position, commonly known as the "normal position," the switching rail is separated from the gauge side of the stationary rail so that a passing wheel is unaffected by the switching rail.
In order to ensure proper functioning of a railroad switch, it is important that the switching rail and stationary rail make good contact in the engaged position. Accordingly, in cold climates, it is common to heat the rail switch or otherwise guard against build up of ice or snow at the switch, especially at the interface between the gauge side of the stationary rail and opposite side of the switching rail.
It will be appreciated that a malfunctioning switch presents a danger of derailment resulting in severe personal and property damage. Although switches are now normally equipped with sensors to provide advance warning in the event of a potentially malfunctioning switch, switch contact problems are nonetheless a hazard, can result in considerable delay and annoyance, and are a significant burden to the rail transportation system in cold climates.
A number of different types of track switch heaters have been devised including heaters that operate on radiant (e.g., infrared element), convective (e.g., forced air); and/or conductive (e.g., electrical heater element) principles. Among these, certain heaters have relative advantages for particular applications based on efficiency, availability of an appropriate power source at a remote location or other considerations.
However, known track switch heaters are subject to one or more of the following disadvantages. First, some heaters can be damaged or can become worn. due to repeated movement of the tracks incident to switching. In addition, some heaters are inefficient due to their reliance on convective or radiant heating. Other heaters are inefficient due to use of a small surface area for conductive heat transfer or uneven heat distribution across the heat transfer surface. In this regard, rounded heater element housings have a limited area of direct thermal contact and, in operation, such contact may be further limited if the housing becomes disfigured due to thermal warping or impact. Moreover, some heaters are inefficient due to reliance on heat conduction through a railroad rail from a remote heat transfer surface (e.g., on the rail side away from the switch interface) to the switch interface.